Donovan Mitchell’s near triple double helps lead the Cavaliers to their second-straight win.
CLEVELAND — Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott, who was an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, mentioned before Wednesday’s game that the opponent he prepared for on tape looked pretty similar to the one he was on the coaching staff for last season.
“The recent games, just based off our scouting, they’re getting there, it’s just the health,” Ott said about the Cavs. “Honestly, the fourth quarter in San Antonio against one of the best teams, they looked like the Cavs that I remember.”
The Cavs had extended stretches where they looked like the team that ran through the league. It’s still not to the consistent level last year’s team was at, but they did enough to come away with a decisive 129-113 victory over a solid Suns team.
Cleveland came out of the gates strong. They had a 16-2 run shortly after the start of the game and an 11-2 run near the end of the quarter. In that stretch, the Cavs effortlessly turned defensive stops into runs out on the other end, were moving the ball well, and were doing all of the things that were synonymous with Cavaliers’ basketball last season.
And unlike their win against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, Donovan Mitchell had it going. He poured in 10 points in the first quarter to help the Cavs get out to a 16-point lead after the first quarter.
Poor starts haven’t been the issue this season. Instead, it’s been poor stretches in the second and third quarters with bench units that completely let go of the rope. There were times when it seemed like that would happen again, but the Cavs were able to rally just enough not to completely give up the momentum, even though Phoenix won both the second and third quarters.
Then the Cavs reinserted their dominance in the fourth. They quickly turned a 7-point lead into a 21-point advantage midway through the fourth, effectively ending the game.
Mitchell led the Cavs with a near triple-double. He finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in the victory.
While Mitchell was great, the story of this game was how well-rounded a performance it was from everyone else. Six Cavaliers finished with double-digit point totals. This included Darius Garland (19), Jaylon Tyson (18), Evan Mobley (16), Jarrett Allen (16), and Sam Merrill (16).
The Suns were led by 32 points from Devin Booker. Jordan Goodwin added 15 rebounds with seven on the offensive end.
It wasn’t a flawless performance. There’s still room for improvement, considering their turnovers and the offensive rebounds they gave up, but it was another much-needed step forward. The Cavaliers are firmly trending in the right direction.
The Cavaliers will look to keep the momentum going as they host the Denver Nuggets on Friday evening.
Category: General Sports
